Do WHAT? ATL-LAXthru NOL for 35,000 points?

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DennisInGeorgia

Train Attendant
Joined
Oct 29, 2008
Messages
95
Location
Atlanta
Just got off the phone with AGR agent who told me that since I had to stay overnight in NOL, ATL-LAX will cos 15K to NOL, then 20K more on into LAX> Can this be? Did they make a policy change, or did I get a newbie agent with his nose in a rule book of some sort? Were not dripping with points, so this is serious.

Should I wait until later this evening when the west-coast office is handling all calls? They do seem to know what's what out there.

Dennis in GA
 
No, that's not correct.

Actually, belay that. 19-1 doesn't show up as a published connection (anymore? I thought it once did).

Quote the rules: Where a published route contains a valid connection of 23 hours, 30 minutes or less, an overnight stay in the connecting city is permitted at the passenger's own expense. (Example: one-way travel from New York to El Paso, where the published route requires an overnight connection in New Orleans, would be permitted on the same redemption.)

Edit again. Yes, 19-1 is a published route (I was looking on the wrong day). That makes it a legal one-redemption according to the rule above.
 
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1 doesn't run next day so we'd have to take the CONO from New Orleans to CHI and then 3 to LAX. Hopefully that doesn't muddy the water in this case.
 
It should be a 2 zone trip as Ryan said. A Roomette should be 20,000 points from ATL. Are you going on a day where the SL departs the next day? :huh:

If so, it's a 2 zone (20,000 point) trip from ATL. Ask for a supervisor if necessary. If it is not an SL day the following day, then NOL would be a stopover and the agent is correct (35,000 points).

Edit: You replied as I was typing. See above.
 
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As was said both are valid 2 Zone Awards under AGR Rules provided you use your dime in NOL for the overnight and take #1 on one of the 3 days a week it runs NOL-LAX.

If you have the time the 19/58/3 Route is more interesting and has more Train time!

Also if you have the AGR Master Card a 2 Zone Roomette Award will be 19,000 Points since you receive a 5% rebate to your AGR Account after you Book(1,000 Points)
 
Jim, we would LOVE to go the 19-58-3 route again, since we did the same trip LAST summer! That one was booked with zero fuss, so it took me aback when today's agent, who I perceived might have been a greenhorn, started telling me it was 15,000 + 20,000 points. Anyway- if that's still the case when I call again, I'll ask for a supervisor since I('d like to hear it from one of their ilk. It just seems odd that we couldn't book a 2-zone to LAX without having to spend an extra day in NOL 4 days a week. Hopefully my next call will be taken by someone experienced, with a can-do mindset. I'll post on what I find out.

Dennis
 
I fully agree with RyanS and AmtrakBlue. We're pricing all that out this evening, and we are checking on one-way rental rates between the two cities since we'll have access to the kids' car during the 2-3 weeks we're out there helping care for the new baby. And another wrinkle we thought of is this: we could drive our own car to Jackson MS, park it at the station for $8 a day, and then drive back home on our own schedule when we return to Jackson on the SB CONO. I'd much rather pop for a roomette to NOL, or even ride in coach on our own dime since it's a day trip. But the rationale of treating that trip as a 3-zone award escapes me. We're being frugal with points because we want to bring grandkid-and-parents to ATL in a bedroom soon as we can, and since we don't possess unlimited points, we have to do what we can so we'll have enough to pull that off. I sure do hope there's no other point on their network that does this loop-de-loop on passengers. But at any rate, thanks for all the great suggestions. We'll be picking one of them, rest assured.

Dennis
 
I've done this route several times and I always just buy coach, usually I board in Birmingham. So I ride coach from BHM-NOL (usually about $40 + $10 lunch in the dining car I'll usually pay for) and then overnight in NOL. The next day I start my rewards.. City to Chicago and then connect to Zepyhr or Chief, etc.

I think I tried once to get the room from BHM years ago and was told no.. I just never tried again.
 
I will add this.. my personal experience is that even with the changes in the rules, you still get agents that interpret the rules differently.. consistency is simply not going to happen with Amtrak Guest Rewards until the Pigs are flying. :)
 
At least as I read it, the AGR Redemption Guidelines should permit ATL-NOL-LAX with the overnight in NOL as a single, two-zone redemption.

Where a published route contains a valid connection of 23 hours, 30 minutes or less, an overnight stay in the connecting city is permitted at the passenger's own expense. (Example: one-way travel from New York to El Paso, where the published route requires an overnight connection in New Orleans, would be permitted on the same redemption.)
Click to expand...
The example New York to El Paso via New Orleans would seem to be equally valid for Atlanta to Los Angeles via New Orleans.
 
PRR 60 said:
At least as I read it, the AGR Redemption Guidelines should permit ATL-NOL-LAX with the overnight in NOL as a single, two-zone redemption.

Where a published route contains a valid connection of 23 hours, 30 minutes or less, an overnight stay in the connecting city is permitted at the passenger's own expense. (Example: one-way travel from New York to El Paso, where the published route requires an overnight connection in New Orleans, would be permitted on the same redemption.)
Click to expand...
The example New York to El Paso via New Orleans would seem to be equally valid for Atlanta to Los Angeles via New Orleans.
Click to expand...
I think we determined that would work IF #1 was running on the day following their arrival at NOL. However, it is not and apparently the ATL-NOL-CHI-LAX option is not appearing as a valid route.
 

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